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Nitric acid incident triggers evacuation
Cape Argus
|January 14, 2026
THE City of Cape Town has confirmed that a hazardous chemical reaction, involving nitric acid and phosphorous acid, triggered a major emergency response and mass evacuation in Montague Gardens on Monday.
Fire and Rescue Services spokesperson Jermaine Carelse stressed that no explosion occurred, despite early reports suggesting otherwise.
“There was no explosion — it was a chemical reaction,’ Carelse said in response to media enquiries.
“Yes, it was nitric acid and phosphorous acid”
The incident occurred at about 3.30pm on Monday, when Fire and Rescue Services responded to calls of smoke emanating from a facility operated by Ecowize in Montague Gardens.
Carelse said the first responding officer immediately identified the incident as chemical-related and initiated emergency protocols.
“Apart from evacuating the building, an isolation area was established as well as a 300-metre containment area,” he said.
This story is from the January 14, 2026 edition of Cape Argus.
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